Sneaker

ABSTRACT

AN ATHLETIC SNEAKER HAVING A WEDGE EXTENDING FROM THE HEEL TO JUST BEHIND THE METATARSAL HEADS. AN INNER HEEL PAD POSITIONED OVER THE WEDGE EXTENDS ONE HALF ITS LENGTH ON ITS INNER BORDER AND IS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN ONE HALF ITS WIDTH. AN OUTSIDE PAD EXTENDS 3/8 THE LENGTHS OF THE WEDGE AND IS CENTERED WITH A TRANSVERSE LINE ALIGNED WITH THE END OF THE INNER HEEL PAD.

March 2, 1971 b. H. CONWAY SNEAKER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 12, 1969 M/l/E/VTOR By DAVID H.00NWAY' Q/ Z M1.

March 2, 19 71 D. H. CONWAY SNEAKER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 12. 1

//1/l//V7OH DAVID HQ-BUNWAY March 2, 1971 H, coNw I 3,566,486

SNEAKER Filed Aug. 12, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet s kiwi-W70?- DAVID H Com WAY United States Patent O 3,566,486 SNEAKER David H. Conway, 368 S. Goodman St., Rochester, N.Y. 14607 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 608,096, Jan. 9, 1967, now Patent No. 3,464,125. This apphcatlon Aug. 12, 1969, Ser. No. 849,803

Int. Cl. A43b 13/42; A61f /00 US. CI. 36-25 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An athletic sneaker having a wedge extending from the heel to just behind the metatarsal heads. An inner heel pad positioned over the wedge extends one half its length on its inner border and is slightly less than one half its width. An outside pad extends the length of the wedge and is centered with a transverse line aligned with the end of the inner heel pad.

RELATED CASE This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 608,096 filed Jan. 9, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,464,125.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a sneaker having support means for engaging and restraining foot elongation and other stresses. There have been a number of attempts to provide athletic shoes which relax calf muscles and properly hold the heel in place. None which have been designed to date appear to satisfactorily provide a solution to this problem.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention provides a pad arrangement in combination with a wedge which is designed to relax the calf muscles and to hold the heel of the wearer properly on the shoe sole. The invention provides means for aligning the heel by the inner and outer pads in a manner which prevents the head of the heel bone from going downwardly (plantarly). This combination used together with a wedge extending from the heel forwardly provides an approved means for firmly holding the foot in the shoe in proper alignment.

The present invention may be used in combination with restraining bands of the type described in the above noted patent and herein to provide an improved means of supporting a foot in an athletic shoe or sneaker.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in conjunction with the drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a tennis sneaker embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematical cross sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partially cross sectioned side elevation with a cross sectioned portion taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional elevation of a modification of the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 with a cross section of FIG. 5 taken along a line substantially similar to the cross sectional view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a wedge and pad arrangement of a preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 6.

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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention Will be described primarily in conjunction with a tennis sneaker. However, it should be understood that the invention herein disclosed may be embodied in footwear of other designs for other purposes, and in particular in other types of athletic footwear.

A tennis sneaker 1 is formed with a conventional outer sole 2 of rubber or similar material and an upper 3 which may be formed of canvas or other suitable material conventionally used in fabrication of sneakers. A conventional ruber toepiece 4 may be formed on a sneaker. The sneaker is preferably formed with a relatively high rear quarter 7 having an upper edge 5 substantially higher than the height of a conventional tennis sneaker. Dotted line 6 illustrates the location of the upper edge of a conventional tennis sneaker which as illustrated would ordinarily extend just below the heel of the wearer. The sneaker is conventionally provided with a tongue (not shown) and eyelets 8 through which a shoelace 9 may be threaded in a usual fashion. Preferably an extra eyelet 10 at the upper end of the top of each row of eyelets is provided so that the extra height of the sneaker may be accommodated.

Positioned above the outer sole 2 and outer sole liner 2A and preferably secured to the upper surface of the outer sole 2 or to a midsole are a pair of wedges 12 and 13 (FIG. 3). Wedge 12 is a heel wedge which borders the inner side 15 of the sneaker from the instep area 16 rearwardly, to the rear 17 of the heel. This heel wedge covers only the inner portion of the heel and may have a thickness that will vary depending upon the size of the shoe and the desired elevation up to a thickness of approximately Mr". The edges of the wedge 12 are preferably skived as illustrated at 18 to present a feathered edge. The wedge 13 is a wedge located in the instep region from a transverse line 19 that preferably defines the forward portion of the wedge 12 forwardly to a forward edge 20 that is about aligned with the forward edge of the instep of the shoe. Preferably this wedge 13 is also skived to form a feathered edge as illustrated at 21. This wedge 13 may be positioned on the outer side 24 only of the shoe. The wedge 13 may be a thickness equal to the thickness of the wedge 12. Also positioned above the upper surface of the outer sole liner 2A is a wedge of kneadable or deformable nonresilient material forming a pad 28 of about the same thickness as wedge 12 and 13. This pad or Wedge 28 is designed to be deformed by the toe pressure of the wearer. This material will retain an impression of the wearers toes as impressed through the inner sole 29.

Positioned above pad 28 and wedges 12 and 13 is a lift 29A. This lift 29A extends from the heel forwardly to the metatarsal area. The lift 29A is tapered preferably from a thickness of about of an inch at the heel to a feathered edge at the metatarsal area. This lift covers the wedges 12 and 13 and functions to raise the heel and thereby relieve pressure tensions on the calf muscles. This lift functions cooperatively with the bands hereafter described that engage the instep to restrain the foot of the wearer in a comfortable position with tensions in the calf muscles relieved while at the same time the bands restrain undesired forward thrust of the foot.

Positioned above lift 29A is a cellular inner sole 29 of conventional shape but preferably having a thickness of at least A". The upper surface of the inner sole 29 is conventionally covered with fabric or material as illustrated in 30.

Means are provided in the shoe to engage in the instep area of the wearers foot and hold the foot securely within the shoe against stresses that tend to elongate the foot and force it forwardly toward the toe of the shoe. These means cooperate with lift 29A and comprise primarily a first fabric band 40. This fabric band 40 is preferably formed of an elongated resilient stretchable material such as an elastic fabric material. The fabric material is generally formed into shape having end sections 41 and 42 interconnected by an intermediate bight section 44 (FIG. 2). These end sections 41, 42 extend upwardly on either side of the sneaker at the instep region immediately adjacent and on the inner side of the upper. The bight section 44 is positioned parallel to the inner face of insole 30 and is connected to the lower or inner ends of the end sections 41 and 42. This first fabric band section 40 is secured to the shoe by means of a second flexible fabric band 50 made preferably of the same material from which the first fabric or band is made. The second flexible fabric band is positioned entirely Within the shoe and is U- shaped with legs 51 and 52 interconnected by a bight section '53 to form a U-shaped member with the bight of the U extending around the heel or rear quarter of the sneakers upper. The bight section 53 is suitably secured to the rear quarter of the upper by stitching 54 and 55 or by other suitable means. The integrally connected legs 51 and 52 in turn are secured to the inner or lower portion of the end sections 41 and 42 respectively by stitching 56 or other suitable means.

Means are provided for adjustably securing the free ends of the band sections to one another so that they may be tightened over the top of the wearers instep. Preferably these means comprise a material commonly known as Velcro. This material consists of interengagable pads of material. One pad 60 of material comprises a fuzz or like material suitably formed or secured on a base fabric. The other pad comprises a series of small hook-like members that are made of material such as nylon and illustrated at 61. These hook-like members are anchored at one end in a base fabric and are free at their hook end to engage the other pad 60 when pressed into contact with it. The pad 60 is secured to the outer surface of leg 41 which in turn is positioned on the instep side of the shoe. The hook-like members 61 are secured to the inner or lower surface of section 42 and are adapted to be laid over pad 60 in facing relation with it for adjustably interengaging end sections 41 or 42. The sneaker may also be formed with a loop 70 secured to the rear of the sneaker by suitable and conventional means.

Also contemplated by the present invention is modification of the preferred embodiment. Except as otherwise described this modification is the same as the preferred embodiment. End sections 41 and 42 are formed of separate lengths of flexible resiliently stretchable fabric material instead of being integrally connected by bight 44, with these separate sections 41 and 42 being anchored or otherwise suitably secured at their inner or lower ends to the sole construction of thesneaker by a suitable means. The said second flexible fabric band 50 is optional in this construction. 1

In FIG. there is shown a modification of the inven tion in which the construction is similar to that previously described except as otherwise described herein. In this construction the bands 41A and 42B are formed similarly to the end sections 41 and 42 of band 40 of the preferred modification. However, these bands 41A and 42A are separately formed and are attached to the sneaker only at their lower ends 43A with the lower ends ofthese bands suitably anchored by cement or other means to the outer sole 2 at-44A by means such as cement or the like. These bands 41A and 42A may be used in the same fashion as the band 40 previously described.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7 there is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this arrangement the wedge is positioned directly over the outer sole 2 and outer sole liner 2A of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4. This wedge 100 extends from the heel to just behind the metatarsal heads. The entire wedge may be divided into thirds. At the third closest to the heel the wedge has its greatest thickness and may range from Ai-inch to approximately %-inch. Preferably it should be in the order of to /2-inch. This third preferably has uniform thickness. The middle third extends from the thickness of the rear third to a thickness of about /2 the rear third thickness. Thus for example the thickness of the rear third is /z-inch, the middle third is tapered from /2 to A-inch. The forward third extends from the thickness of the middle third as for example A-inch to a feather edge behind the metatarsal heads.

Positioned above the wedge 100 is an inner heel pad 101. This inner heel pad preferably has a thickness in the order of /8 to %g-ill0l'l. The heel pad 101 has a length which extends approximately /2 the length of the wedge 100 on its inner border. It has a width which is approximately slightly less than /2 of the width of the wedge at theheel. The'periphery of the pad 101 is feathered on its edges away from the side 102 of the wedge 100.

An outside pad 103 is also secured to the upper service of the wedge 100. This pad 103 has a thickness in the order of Ma to A -inch. It is skived to a feathered edge along its borders away from the side 102 of the wedge 100.-It has a length prefreably the length of the entire wedge at its maximum point. It is centered to lie symmetrically with respect to a transverse line extending through the foremost part of the pad 101.

Pads .101 and 103 as well as the wedge 100 may be made of any material sufiiciently firm to hold the foot in proper alignment. The assignment of wedge 100, pads 101 and 103 may be positioned within a sneaker as illustrated in FIG. 4 with the pads 101 and 103 above the wedge 100 and covered by a suitable inner sole arrangement.

1 claim:

1. In an athletic shoe having an outersole, an innersole and an upper extending from said outersole over and enclosing said innersole, a wedge positioned between said innersole and outersole and extending from the heel forwardly to the metatarsal area of said shoe, said Wedge being tapered from a thickness of approximately %-inch at the heel to a feathered edge at the metatarsal area.

2. In an athletic shoe, as set forth in claim 1, a heel pad extending from the instep area rearwardly to the extreme heel end of the shoe on the inner side thereof and having a thickness in the order of fit-inch. 3. In an athletic shoe, as set forth in claim 2, a second pad in the instep region extending from the forward portion of said heel wedge to the forward portion of said shoe instep and on the outer side of said shoe, said second pad having a thickness in the order of A-inch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,319,143 5/1943 Levy et al. 3671 2,767,490 10/1956 Smith 3644 2,979,835 4/1961 Scholl 3644 3,464,125 9/1969 Conway 362.5

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 36-7l, 76 

